Main Idea

There are several ways to determine if a snake is poisonous or not. First, poisonous snakes usually have triangular shaped heads while nonpoisonous snakes have rounded heads. Second, poisonous snakes have pupils that look like slits. Nonpoisonous snakes have pupils that are rounder. Finally, the snouts of poisonous snakes are sometimes upturned, while nonpoisonous snakes have rounded snouts.

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

• Where snakes live

• How to tell if a snake is poisonous or not

• How poisonous snakes smell

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Elephants use their trunks for many things. Elephants use their trunks to smell. In fact, elephants can smell better than bloodhounds. Baby elephants sometimes suck their trunks to soothe themselves the way human babies suck their thumbs. Elephants do not drink with their trunks. They use their trunks to suck up water and then pour it in their mouths. Elephants also greet each other with their trunks the way humans do by shaking hands.

•  How much water elephants drink
• Where elephants live
• How elephant use their trunks

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Can you imagine not having a television? Before the 1920’s there were no televisions. The first television set was invented by a 21 year old man named Philo Farnsworth. Farnsworth demonstrated the first moving picture in San Francisco in 1927. Even though it was only a simple, straight line, this was the beginning of electronic television as we know it. 

•  The invention of television
• Hobbies before 1920
• Who lives in San Francisco

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George Washington is known as the “Father of Our Country” because of his strong leadership. He was the commander in chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. After winning the Revolutionary War, George Washington headed the group of men who wrote the Constitution of the United States of America. Later, the colonists elected George Washington as the first president of the United States of America. 

• How George Washington led our country
• Why the Revolutionary War began
• Who wrote the U.S. Constitution

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Did you know that the Statue of Liberty was once brown instead of green? The Statue of Liberty is made of copper, a shiny brown metal. Over time, the Statue of Liberty changed to a pale green color because of a chemical reaction called oxidation. As the statue was exposed to air and water, oxidation occurred. The statue became covered in a thin, green layer. This green layer actually protects the statue from further damage by weather.

• Where the Statue of Liberty is located 
•  How oxidation occurs 
• How the Statue of Liberty changed color

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There are several ways to tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile. Crocodiles are bigger than alligators and have pointed snouts. Alligators have wide snouts. Wild crocodiles are found all over the world, but wild alligators are only found in the United States and China. Another way to tell the difference is to look at their mouths. When a crocodile’s mouth is closed, the fourth tooth sticks out of its mouth.

• Where crocodiles live 
•  Differences in crocodiles and alligators
•  Dangers of crocodiles and alligators

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Animals and plants living in deserts have adaptations which enable them to survive there. Desert plants have little or no leaves where moisture can escape. They also have deep roots to soak up water underground. Many desert animals are nocturnal. They burrow in the soil or sand during the hottest part of the day and are active at night when it is cooler. Desert animals also survive by getting the water they need from desert plants.

• How much it rains in the desert
• Types of animals living in deserts
• How animals and plants survive in deserts

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Sending mail on the Pony Express was once the fastest way to keep in contact with someone living across the country. The Pony Express was a mail delivery service from Missouri to California in 1860. Men riding horses and carrying saddlebags of mail, newspapers, and packages traveled the 1,900 mile route in about ten days. Once telegraph service was invented, the Pony Express was no longer needed.

• What the Pony Express was
• How much the Pony Express deliveries cost
• How many horses were on the Pony Express

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Hand sanitizers can be a good substitute for washing your hands when soap and water are not available. To kill germs, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Pour about a dimesized drop of hand sanitizer on your hands. Then, rub your hands together for 3o seconds to help the hand sanitizer begin its work. 

•  How to use hand sanitizer 
•  How germs are spread in hospitals
• Where to buy hand sanitizers

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Do you ever wonder what makes gum so chewy? Gum has been around for about 3,000 years. Until the 1940’s, gum was made out of chicle, a type of tree sap. Flavorings were added during the 1860’s to make gum taste better. Now, gum makers use a soft, chewy, and edible type of rubber-like substance to make gum. 

•  The different flavors of gum
• Types of tree sap
• What gum is made of

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